Old Enemies
by yellow 14
Summary: Written for The Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition. Sometimes old enemies can surprise you. One of Hermione's old enemies certainly surprised her.


Disclaimer: Don't own and never will. Okay?

AN: Written for The Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition. The prompts are in **bold type. **Or should be, assuming that fanfiction doesn't make a mess of uploading it. (It has happened far too often for me.)

There were some things in life that definitely improved with age, Draco Malfoy thought to himself with an appreciative look. For example, elf wine was by far better when it had matured. Oak looked better older in his opinion and smelled impressive. Love potions became more potent the older they got. No some things definitely improved with age.

Then there were things that didn't improve with age. His hair for example, had steadily thinned out the older he got and no amount of potions or spells had been able to change that. He was completely bald by his sixtieth birthday, not something he had been happy about. His ex-wife was another good example. The older she got, the more she seemed to resent him. Generally he stayed out of her way whenever possible.

Attending the marriage of his first grandchild and only grandson was one event he had no intention of missing however and no amount of threatening letters from his former wife would keep him away. Fortunately, she wasn't here. Apparently she wasn't feeling well or some excuse like that. Personally, Draco was glad she was away. At least Scorpius didn't have to worry about a bitter fight between his parents spoiling his little boy's special day.

Fortunately, everything else about the day was going well. His grandson Micheal arrived looking very smart in his suit. The girl was a nice mud- Draco abruptly caught his line of thought and corrected himself. A nice young muggle-born witch from Korea who pretty much represented the precise opposite of every Malfoy belief Draco had regrettably grown up with. The weather was sunny and warm; the **countryside **beautiful,there wasn't so much as a peep from the press and the organisation meant that everything had gone perfectly.

If there was one drawback to this day, it was seeing Harry Potter and Hermione Granger-Weasley arrive together.

It wasn't that there was any real animosity between him and the so-called Golden Trio any more. He had grown up a lot since their first hostile encounter on the Hogwart's Express and when Scorpius befriended and eventually married Ron and Hermione's daughter Rose, they found common ground. He even attended Ron's funeral three years ago and later Ginny's a few months later. No, it was seeing Harry Potter arrive with Hermione that disquieted him. He was used to seeing them married to other people and as practically brother and sister in all but name, it unsettled him.

Then there was the whole issue of the simple fact that somehow, Draco had managed to fall in love with Hermione Granger-Weasley.

It wasn't something he intended to happen and Merlin knew this wasn't some long-lost feeling that far too many trashy romance novels described. As a boy, he had hated Hermione on principle. As an adult, she earned a grudging respect at first, followed by a tentative friendship.

And sometime after Ron died, he had fallen in love with her.

If someone had told him when he climbed aboard the Hogwarts Express that he would fall in love with a mudb-a muggle born, he would have thought they were crazy or confounded. Certainly he hated Hermione when they were at school together and even in the aftermath of Voldemort's defeat, they stayed away from one another. But that was a long time ago now and the follies of his younger self

**Every cloud has a silver lining** though. Going through such a hellish time with Voldemort made Draco examine every single idea that his parents taught him, especially about blood-purity and he emerged stronger for it.

"Hello Draco," Hermione said, cutting across his reverie and he jumped in surprise.

"Merlin Hermione, I didn't see you there!" he exclaimed in surprise. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Hermione chuckled in amusement.

"You were a million miles away. Interesting thoughts?" she asked with a twinkle of amusement in her eye. Like Draco, Hermione had changed a lot from that bossy, buck-toothed little girl who stepped onto the Hogwarts Express, but unlike Draco, age had been a lot kinder to her. Her bushy brown hair was flecked with streaks of grey and her face more wrinkled than her younger self, but her eyes were still keen and she was as mobile as someone half her age.

"At my age? Not likely," he joked, before nodding his head over to where the happy couple were dancing. "This is more their day than ours."

"She's a wonderful girl, isn't she?" Hermione asked as she sat down beside him. "She's clever and charming and they really click together well."

"Let's hope it stays that way," Draco added with a touch of bitterness and Hermione frowned.

"I know things didn't work out with Astoria, but marriage does work," she said and Draco raised an eyebrow. "Rose and Scorpius are an excellent example and I loved Ron till his dying day." There was a sudden pause as Hermione allowed herself to gain her bearings once more. "I'm sure they'll be fine."

"And if it doesn't, we can save him from her muggle relatives," Draco added with a chuckle before looking at the happy couple once more. "Merlin, who would have thought, all those years ago when we first met, that we'd actually be here?"

"I didn't," Hermione admitted with a smile. "But then again, when you're eleven, the idea of being eighty-three is another impossibly far away part of the future."

"Or you arriving at your grandson's wedding with your best friend as a date," Draco added and Hermione snorted with amusement.

"Harry's not a date, he's just here as part of the family," she said with amusement. "We apparated here together because Harry is just not up apparating alone these days."

"I have a feeling the press would have a field day with you two being romantically involved." Draco pointed out and Hermione snorted again.

"Harry's more like a brother than anything else. Dating him would feel…wrong," she said and a smile crossed Draco's face.

**"What are you smiling about?" **she asked and Draco shook his head.

"I've just heard some good news, that's all," he replied and he stood up. "Would you care to join me for a dance?"


End file.
